Sat. May 6 - Shuttered museum will reopen this month

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

With May well underway, we’re starting to see the weekends fill up with local festivals. We’ve got a round-up below of many of today’s events, from the pet expo to the guitar show, but we’d love to hear which local events you’re looking forward to over the next month or two. Reply to this email with your favourites!

Today we also have news on a local attraction getting back in the mix: the Point Ellice House is returning to operation this month. Details in the update below.

NEWS

Point Ellice House will reopen to public by end of May

The museum, located near the Bay Bridge in an 1861-built house full of late-Victorian artifacts, will soon reopen under a new interim operator after closing Apr. 22. The province has brought in Forager Foundation, a non-profit that has partnered with 25% of BC’s heritage sector, until a long-term operator is selected.

“We will be working to build off of the legacy of previous site managers,” Forager Foundation president and founder Bryce Mathew Watts said on Friday, “and create new programs and resources that share Point Ellice’s unique story with a broader audience.”

Closure cited chronic underfunding

Point Ellice House’s previous operator, the Vancouver Island Local History Society (VILHS), terminated its contract a year early. Point Ellice House executive director Kelly Black told Capital Daily that the current BC budget funding was unsustainable and that the heritage site is chronically underfunded. He feels BC will pay for maintenance but not enough for operations, making each year precarious in a way he doubts any other operator can overcome.

A 2007 provincial report projected that Point Ellice House would require $236K annually from the province to maintain its business. Since VILHS began its contract in 2019, the museum has received $425K for operations, $338K for site maintenance costs, and a one-time $226K grant from the BC 150 Time Immemorial Program.

The province’s lack of funding for heritage sites encourages outdated historical narration, Black told Capital Daily in an April feature on local museums’ challenges and closures. In recent years Point Ellice House had made efforts to better reflect its colonial legacy, such as signage and a planned permanent exhibit on previous owner Peter O’Reilly’s involvement in the Indian Reserve Commission. Those exhibit plans ended up stunted by the lack of funding.

In its announcement yesterday, the province stressed the importance of public accessibility to Point Ellice House and said it has invested $50M in BC heritage sites in the past two years.

By Sarah Madsen, with files from Michael John Lo

Capital Bulletin

🌥️ Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High 14C / Low 7C.

🚗 Speed survey closing: This weekend is the last chance to fill out Esquimalt’s survey on its plans to reduce street speeds.

🍂 Garbally garden waste drop-off closed today for maintenance.

✅ Correction: Ay Mi Mexico’s owners are Luis and Amanda Cabello, not Eduardo Arellano.

NEWS

Langford football star picked first in CFL draft

Dontae Bull, who played for the Westshore Rebels and Belmont Secondary Bulldogs, went #1 to the Ottawa Redblacks on Tuesday. After winning BC Defensive Player of the Year at Belmont, the 6’7’’ offensive lineman spent six seasons at Fresno State (also named the Bulldogs). The Sooke School District posted its congratulations to Bull, who at Belmont was a multi-time school MVP in varsity football as an o- and d-line player and was also on the basketball team.

If not for a recent broken leg Bull may have had a chance at the NFL draft, which snapped up some of the CFL prospects initially ranked above him. Ottawa has signed Bull, 24, to a rookie contract, but he could head back south as soon as next winter.

CFL players (even if under contract) can try out for and sign with the NFL teams during a limited annual window. In January, Victoria-born Nathan Rourke made that leap by signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars after winning CFL Most Outstanding Canadian in his injury-shortened 2022 season.

By Cam Welch

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Capital Picks

🔄 Levidrome: Which two words spell each other backwards and are described by this clue: Dug in a Canuck tux
Answer on Facebook or Twitter and tag #levidrome and #capitaldaily. Last time: When students make a mistake = pupils/slipup

🎸 Victoria Guitar Show: From acoustic and electric to pedals and amps this expo offers all your guitar needs. Free entrance on May 6 from 10am-4pm, with live evening performances. [Details]

🎨 Spring art show & sale: The Cordova Bay 55+ Art Group is holding an art show, sale, and fundraiser today and tomorrow at Cordova Bay Elementary School (10am-3pm). Group members work in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, and mixed media.

🏠 The next phase is here! Introducing ELIZA South. Offering 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom + den, and 2-bedroom suites. Discover why so many others are calling ELIZA home! Register today!*

🕺 DJ LUNICE at Capital Ballroom: Dance the night away with DJ LUNICE and special guests DWAM, Looting, & Njoki Njoki with doors 9pm. [Tickets]

🐶 Victoria Pet Expo: Learn how to best take care of your four-legged friend at this two-day expo, with lessons on health, DIY homecare, and pet yoga. May 6 & 7 / $5. [Details]

💥 Free Comic Book Day: Local comic shops are among the many across North America offering dozens of titles for free today.

⛹️ Family Sport & Rec Festival: 11am-3pm at Pacific Institute for Sport Education on Interurban. [Details]

🌿 Invasive plant removal: The Green Team volunteers are in Macaulay Point Park today, 9:45am-1pm. [Where to meet & what to bring]

*Sponsored Listing

In Other News

🏥 Workers criticize Island Health’s top-employer award
Island Health employees have described working conditions as mentally damaging and have contested claims that onsite childcare is provided. Discontent was outlined in an employee survey a month prior to the top-100 award. [Ricochet]

💉 BC doctors question LifeLabs long-COVID testing
The testing company, which has over a dozen South Island locations, claims to offer “various diagnostic tests” for the illness, but Canada’s public health agency states that there are no “tests or treatments for post-COVID-19 condition.” The president of Doctors of BC says that the tests offered are too broad to be useful in diagnosing long COVID. Other doctors have claimed the tests are “misleading.” [CTV]

In Case You Missed It

🏛️ New anti-”sextortion” law: This week BC’s Attorney General advised major media companies to comply with the new Intimate Images Act. [Capital Daily]

🚨 Bus and Amazon van collide: Thursday’s crash damaged both, and shut part of Yates. [CHEK]

🍴 Your digital pocket guide to the city’s must-try spots: From the best new restaurant to the best hidden gem, download your guide to the winners of this year’s Tasting Victoria Best Restaurant Awards, presented by Gordon Food Service.

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